Do This Now! Help Stop Fake News From Spreading
The online magazine Slate has created a new tool for internet users to identify, debunk, and—most importantly—combat the proliferation of bogus stories. It’s a Chrome browser extension called This Is Fake, and you can download and install it for free by
clicking here or in the Chrome web store.
The point isn’t just to flag fake news. It’s to remind you that, anytime you see fake news in your feed, you have the opportunity to interrupt its viral transmission, both within your network and beyond.
How it works.
Once you install the extension, as you scroll through your Facebook feed, stories that Slate has identified as fake news will be flagged with a red banner over the preview image, informing you that they’ve been debunked.
The banner links directly to an article from a reputable source that debunks the story in question, and it prompts the user to share the debunking as a comment on the offending post. This is the antiviral functionality, one whose success depends on your participation.
(Thanks Slate for creating this tool. We suggest that YogaCity NYC readers join Slate to support accurate, independent journalism.)
--the editors
